1000 Words Thursday!...a trip down memory lane!

Last week was such fun....going back through my baby books and scrapbooks. I couldn't wait to do it again. I thought I would take you guys down memory lane. It has made me realize how many things I have forgotten already!

At my bestest friend, Corin's, wedding....a short 3 months after I had Colby. Ahhh...those were the days.
My babies at 1 month old. I was very excited to get both of them "smiling" in their pictures, b/c everyone told me I wouldn't be able to do it.
They loved each other right off the start.

One of Emma's many excursions with boots and a dress. They were/are so happy and smiley!

Look at those chubby cheeks! I took these pictures at a Day out with Thomas in Boone IA. It was an awesome trip! I would go again in a heartbeat!


One of my favorite pictures of Emma.

And Colby with his ever present puppy. He still packs this thing around.
Hope you enjoyed....I sure had fun!

Picture Perfect

Some random pictures I need to post.

Emma on our date night. We had a fun time. She kept saying, I really like date night mom. I told her I did too. When it was all said and done and we were headed home she goes "Mom, Can we talk about my day now?" What? What have I been listening to for the last 5 hours? Anyway, she came away with two new leapster games, two new shirts, a dress, slippers, pretend eggs, valentines, and hopefully lots of memories. I came away with a sad feeling b/c my "baby" can no longer wear toddler clothes. That totally stinks, b/c Target toddler clothes are MUCH cuter than the "big" girl stuff. It was a very sad realization.

This is Emma helping Colby make his lunch. I've put him in charge of the making of his lunch and he does a pretty good job. He ALWAYS takes a honey mustard sandwich. As you can see....he likes LOTS of the honey mustard. He also likes for Emma to help.

Funny story....the other day he brought home a picture (see below) of what he wanted to be when he grows up. It's a darling drawing and I love the spelling of electrician. So, I was thinking...if Emma would draw one I could put them on the wall together. Emma wants to be a animal doctor...aka...vet. Colby asked her if she knew how to spell vet. He proceeded to sound it out /v/ /e/ /t/. "Do you know those letters," he asked. Emma guessed f for v, which I thought was pretty close. She didn't have a guess for e and Colby was disgusted b/c that starts her name. By the time he got to t, he looked at me and said, "I think you need to work with her." Thanks for the advice, Colby!

Vance bought this gorgeous bench to sit on our front porch. Now he thinks it's too nice to put outside, so it's in our living room. It is quite pretty!

Need a laugh?

Bree turned me on to her, with her funny story of her daughter and her vibrating phone.
Annette pointed out her post about colonoscopies (sp) like no other has posted before.
You MUST go and read it today. It's hilarious! Click here and enjoy!

It would be crime to not celebrate....

CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY!
According to Corin it's the official Chocolate Cake Day, so first I'm going to my mom's for my favoritest meal in the whole world: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, white gravy, and if I'm lucky....coleslaw. Then, I'm going to try this from Stacey and Ryan....thanks guys!
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE'' 1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
some nuts (optional)
Small splash of vanilla
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well .
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT!
I'm thinking a little hot fudge will also be in order!
Happy Chocolate Cake Day!

Bummed

My "mini" vacation got cancelled because of the stinky weather in Jeff City!
Bummer!

A Night Away...

I am excited...weather permitting!
Jared and Vance are going to Jeff City tomorrow morning until Friday afternoon. Usually, I just stay at home and single parent it until Vance comes home. Not this time! I get to go too! Bree and I are going to leave Thursday afternoon and crash their man time! We're going to go to supper, hang out, and then Bree and I will be loose on the town the next day until they get out of class. Thanks, Mom for watching my kids....it'll be a fun break!

Photographer

Remember these?.......

Check out my friend and photographer's new website @ mrsreplogle.webs.com.

Keep in mind that it is still under construction.

Enjoy!

More information

O.K. back to our new technology! This is a LCD projector. It hooks to our computer and projects my monitor screen onto the big whiteboard. I've had this projector for a few years and use it a lot. Anything from a United streaming clip, pictures, or typing something on word.

Now we have a CPS Chalkboard. It is about the size of an etch-a-sketch and I can control my computer from anywhere in the room. It also has software that allows me to write, draw, erase, etc. It is a lot like kid pix. There are also lots of teaching tools like a blank clock face, 100 chart, etc. Also, there are protractors, rulers, compasses, etc. I love this thing and have used it everyday since we got them!

One more step in the technology are "clickers." I don't have them, but it is very neat. Every student has one and if you put up a problem, they can enter their answer and you automatically know who was right and who was wrong. Also, the software will create graphs and reports to show possible growth or patterns in mistakes. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity!
We also got the Common Sense Math DVD's and access to the website. Go check out the demo and see for yourself. It is a fun way to do fact practice everyday! Every classroom will also have a password so that parents can practice the workouts at home and also see how things are being taught at school. We as the teachers also have a place to update what our classrooms are doing each day/week.

This was probably boring for some, but I thought it would be nice to let you know something positive happening at Schuyler R-1 Schools!

Randomness

I finished the last disc of season 1 Gilmore Girls...Sadness
I wore flip flops today...they felt weird on my feet...Sadness
I loved the weather today, too bad it won't last til tomorrow...or even this weekend!
I'm glad I live in a climate where we have the 4 seasons...I'm always ready for the next one to roll around.
Here's to tomorrow being Friday!

1000 Words Thursday!

A trip to the archives....

This was the night we had Emma. Colby was 20 months old and not so sure about things. I can't believe how little he looks in these pictures, b/c I remember thinking he seemed so big!

He is trying to give his sister a ball to play with. He kept saying, "Put her on the floor, so we can play!"

Notice my mom's ever present hands in both pictures! Emma was well protected!

Gotta Tell Ya

I had a very eventful day! I taught this morning, got a much needed break, and then had a 5 hour training. I'm very excited about the new technology our school is getting and will have to give you more information when I can remember the name of it! Thanks to Cindy and Mom for taking my children!
After that, I went to Sonlight. The first one back after Christmas. We had a record 19 Lollipops and that is with two full timers gone! It was awesome. We ate Jonah and the Whale!!
I am really sick of looking at a computer, so I'm not commenting on any blogs and I'm getting off right now.
Have a great night!

I'm so excited!

I didn't blog much about Bunco b/c I got so busy with my crazy Friday, but I had a BlAsT! It was so neat to see such an array of women get together, make everyone feel welcome, and have a good time. I think Bree and I are the only ones who knew EVERYONE, but yet we all had a great time. We all had to get to know the rest of our group b/c we were constantly moving, telling stories, etc. The whole group now knows more about me and my "friend" from July than they probably wanted to know. Anyway, we are thinking about getting t-shirts. Something similar to the below picture with our names on the back. Won't that be fun, with our favorite pair of p.j.s? Now, we will all have to be on the look out with comfy pants with pink accents. That will be difficult for me b/c I buy all my pajama pants in the men's section...but probably not impossible. How sad is that? Anyway, can't wait for next month's bring your favorite salad and lots of more laughter. Until then....

Another one gone

I've lost another student.
No warning.
No Kiss Goodbye Book.
No kiss goodbye.
No desk cleaning.
Here last Tuesday....Gone this Tuesday!
Grrrrrrrr

Obsession

For Christmas, I got my friend, Corin, two sessions of a t.v. sitcom. It was a sitcom I had never seen and had no desire to see. Don't get me wrong...Corin and I usually have the same taste, so the chances I would like it were pretty good. I mean we usually agree....except apparently she does not care for Dirty Dancing and I could never get into Footloose and American Graffiti. Anyway, the reason I didn't want to watch it was because of the name. The name Gilmore Girls led me to believe it was just another group of girls. Maybe....

Another group of lonely and desperate housewives.

Or maybe, a group of friends/allies/far fetched sexiness.



Or my favorite....friends with just the right touch of sarcasm and love.


So she lent me Season 1 and I decided to give it a try with many hours of laying on the couch with my tummyache. What did I discover?

This:

A wonderful mother/daughter relationship. Now, I understand that the mom, Lorelai had her daughter when she was 16. Do I wish this on myself? No, but their bond/friendship is exceptional. I want this for my daughter and I. I want her to tell me about her first kiss, who she has a crush on, why she has had a bad day. I want to be able to trust her if she comes home late and believe her "story." I want to know that I have given her all the ammunition to go out into the world and face all the pressures and temptations that stand before a young girl. I understand that this starts young, and Emma and I talk every night. I tell her how proud I am of the big girl she has become, and how I hope she will still love me when she gets big. I know this seems like a given, but I've seen so many teenage girls turn into horrible people when they enter that "age." I think it starts young and I intend to "grow" that relationship, so we are prepared when that time comes.
Soooo...needless to say Corin, I am hooked and will be needing Season 2 soon!

Tummyache

I have a tummyache today. It's not the flu, I don't think. It's just at tummyache, no puking, etc. No body aches, chills, temperature. Just a very bad ache. Not rolling...you see. I mean cramps. So strange. I've eaten crackers and toast and had water today. I can't decide if I should go to the Foundations class with Bree. I'm afraid, I will get sick and embarrass myself. I am up and around, so hopefully it's going away and I can get on with my day.

New Babe on the Block

Hey Girls...and Guys,
There's a new Bunco Babe on the Bloggin Block (that's a lot of B's). Go welcome Darla!

That would be scary...

One more Emma funny and then I'm going to read my book. I was putting Emma to bed and she said, "You know what would be scary, Mom? A nightmare."
"No, Emma, I don't know." I replied thinking about all the bad dreams she has had in the past.
"It would be scary if you were a worm and a bird came to eat you in your dreams. That would be a nightmare. If you were that worm you would have to dig DEEP to stay away from those birds or if it was fishing season."
I stopped, stuttered, and then said, "Yep, that would be scary. I'm glad I'm not a worm."
We both agreed it was a good thing we are people and not worms.

That would feel funny...

Emma and I stopped by Mike and Jenn's to get Colby after school/daycare. I, of course, had to snuggle Natalee for a few minutes. Colby was playing the X Box and Emma was messing around. One thing led to another and her, Mike, and Sara were chanting "Oooh, Eeeeh, Ooh, Ahh, Ahh, Ting, Tang, Walla, Walla, Bing Bang." When we got in the car...she kept saying it over and over except her's sounds like this, "Oooh, Eeeeh, ooh, ahh, ahh, swalla, bean, bag." Over and over and over....pretty soon she says, "That would feel funny. Wouldn't it mom?" "What, Emma?"
She looked at me like DUH...."It would feel funny if you swallowed a bean bag. It would shakey shakey every time you walked. And if you jumped it would be even sillier."
"Yep. It sure would, Emma!"

What a mess!

So, this is how it goes....
We're playing Bunco last night and a couple of girls get the call that Scotland has canceled school. Us Schuyler girls wait for our call that never comes. I go home, after a very fun time I might add...and there it is scrolling across the screen...Schuyler R-1 canceled! I talk to many people, and decide to be the information seeker and call our principal. Needless to say, he's confused...he has just come from the board meeting and we ARE having school. I inform him that KTVO says different. He then calls our superintendent and KTVO changes their message.
Fast forward to this morning:
6:17 both cell phones start ringing. A message from the super...there IS school today 1/16.
O.K. I was prepared for that.
6:45 cell phone rings again. Another message, there IS school today, 1/16.
O.K. I got it.
I get to school, I guess KTVO had it going across the screen again this morning that Schuyler was canceled.
I was also told last night that our make up day would be Monday...grrrrr! That stinks when you're banking on a day off.
Get a call at 9:15...it was our principal....there is NO school on Monday 1/19.
Get another call at 10:00...there is still an early out today, dismissing at 1:00....
All I can say is it's a good thing we got this automated system or we would all be a mess. I have 7 kids gone today! Some sick, some thought we were not having school. It's hard to teach when you're going to have to redo it again next week. Right now we are painting snowy pictures...a little down time.
So, here's to a messed up Friday, a three day weekend, and above 0 temps.!

FYI

I thought it would be nice to update some of our far away family on my parents. They are building a shed just south and east of their house. You can see their old garage/shed in the corner of the picture. I am very excited for them to have this storage/warmth/ and added space. Their barn is a goner, so this will take the place of that and hopefully a work space for my dad. It will have doors to pull in tractors and such to work on. Maybe we can get him "organizing" things for his birthday! I bet he'll just love that...he always likes it when we try to organize him! Anyway, I'll keep you updated as the progress happens...it's been so darn cold that no one goes out unless absolutely necessary!

An unexpected Christmas Gift

I got this knife set from our local lumberyard for Christmas. They sent it to us to thank us for all the business we have done there this past year. It is really pretty and goes with my kitchen perfectly...just thought I would share.